Remember
by petiteneko
Summary: "If the past was set in stone, the future had to at least be malleable clay." After the death of his beloved, Link knows that he has only the future to depend on to meet them once again.
1. Prologue

30FF submission!

Warning: I plan for this to be yaoi which means two males doings the do. If you don't like this, press the back button please and do not flame. Another thing: This will contain spoilers from OoT and TP (though I'm certain that if you're here, you know about OoT) Sheik is also his own character and separate from Zelda. I'm not too certain if I'll explain their relationship (AKA Sheik = Zelda or not).

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or any of its characters do not belong to be and are property of Nintendo. However, I do claim possession of this story's plot line and any Original Characters formed in the process of it (Characters:N/A ATM)

* * *

How many times has he experienced _his_ death by now? It was countless times where Link would arrive moments to hours before the other's murder, just to only experience the pain once more. He tried! He _tried_ to stop it. How could he be the Hero of an entire nation if he couldn't save _one_ person? He tried everything from bows to bombs, from mallets to magic. It was all useless.

Sheik refused to live!

Sheik always stepped in to prevent a blade aimed at him. He always received that deadly blow to his gut. Fairies or red potions couldn't help and the _blood wouldn't stop flowing_. Sheik always smiled and whispered his apologies.

Couldn't Sheik see that Link valued Sheik's life more than his own!

But no, _Link_ was _The Hero of Time_, and _Sheik_ was the useless _shadow_.

Link had to live and Sheik had to die. There was no other option for the rest of the world. It was _Link, _not_ Sheik, _who had to slay Ganon.

So Link decided that, if the past was set in stone, the future had to at least be malleable clay. So Link finished the temple and trials ahead of him. So Link met Zelda and received the arrows. So Link conquered Ganon's castle and the Evil Lord himself. So Link fulfilled his destiny. So Link went back in time.

But there was nothing saying he couldn't go forward again.

He pulled the sword once again, pushed it back in, aiming for each time they were reincarnated. He looked for the time where he and Sheik were the same age, because Zelda told him _Sheik was dead to begin with_.

Did this make him a necrophiliac?

The sardonic thought passed through his mind without a thought. Who cared who he was! Who cared what he was? He wanted Sheik, he couldn't give up.

Link swore he went through at least a hundred different time zones with pulling and pushing. He aged from childhood to old age, never finding the right age difference between him and Sheik. The land kept changing around him, the Temple slowly but surely decaying with Time. Now, _that_ made Link laugh. However, his laugh died out into gurgles moments after he pulled out the sword once again. His hands couldn't grasp the hilt properly and everything looked _so big_. Everything became confusing and his body wouldn't move. The last thing he saw was something that looked very similar to a skull kid with a horn.

* * *

Originally this was planned to be a oneshot... but another idea hit me and it's turned into a multi-chaptered fic. And yes, I think that Skull Kid is the Skull Kid from OoT/Majora's mask!

Note: The Sharp Machete's fiction: "The Bleeding Effect" sparked the idea in me, I just thought's I'd state that :P Go read it. It's awesome!

Anther note: I'd really like to have a beta for this fanfiction. This is the first Twilight Princess fiction, no less first crossover I've done. The next chapter is kind of screwing me over, and I don't know how to go through it. I don't know if its too confusing ETC. Just drop a reply, or PM (if you're an anonymous replier answering to my beta call, please leave a means where I can respond)


	2. Chapter 1

30FF submission!

Warning: I plan for this to be yaoi which means two males doings the do. If you don't like this, press the back button please and do not flame. Another thing: This will contain spoilers from OoT and TP (though I'm certain that if you're here, you know about OoT) Sheik is also his own character and separate from Zelda. I'm not too certain if I'll explain their relationship (AKA Sheik = Zelda or not).

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or any of its characters do not belong to be and are property of Nintendo. However, I do claim possession of this story's plot line and any Original Characters formed in the process of it (Characters:N/A ATM)

* * *

Link's infantile mind couldn't contain his memories, or at least in the front of his mind. While he slept in the skull kid's arms, he was carried from deep within the forest to a small village. He was placed on the mayor's doorstep in the middle of the night; a loud rapping woke the heavy-set man and his family up. When they opened the door, all they saw was a small baby boy wrapped in a green swaddle with the beginnings of yellow tufts of hair. He slept peacefully, his small hands clenched into fists. He couldn't be more than a week old.

The family took him in and raised him. Luckily, the wife had just given birth to a baby girl who shared her mother's milk with this young boy.

As Link grew, he began to have weird dreams. It involved a strange, but so familiar forest full of children with fairies. He didn't remember much of his dreams, that is until they reoccurred. They were always vague, but he knew that this green-haired girl named _Saria_ was always in them. She was his friend and helper. She was wise and friendly. There was a boy named Mido who was always mean and jealous of him. He was bossy and seemed to hate him. He didn't like that boy in his dreams.

These dreams make him ask his adoptive father (he was told early on in his life that he wasn't their real son, but that it didn't matter) for a house made within a tree.

"Son, what do you mean? You would need a giant tree to build a house within it. How about I build you a tree house instead?"

Link settled for that. Once the tree house was made, the odd sense of déjà vu settled in his stomach. There was a ladder and a fenced balcony. His house wrapped around the tree.

It felt like he was home once again.

.+++.

A few months later, Link had taken practically living in the new tree house that (the mayor) made for him. It was right outside of the village, but Link liked the house. There was something about it that made him never want to leave. Of course, he still actually _lived_ with his family, but it was only eating and sleeping there.

Then Epona was born.

When Link met the fawn, a song had entered his mind. He picked up the nearest piece of grass and blew a cryptically familiar tune.

The newborn animal raised her head and weakly got to her legs, walking towards Link.

"Hehe." Ilia said, "I think she likes you Link."

It was the same as his house. One look into her eyes and he _knew._ She was somebody special, she wasn't a normal horse.

"Epona… call her that." Link said, the name automatically coming to him.

Epona neighed in response and nuzzled him.

.+++.

New dreams came to him after that night. There was a farm, an overworked farmhand and a lazy farm owner. Epona was there too, as was a red-haired girl named Malon. Lon Lon Ranch it was called. Epona was an untameable fawn, wild and rambunctious. She only listened to two people: him and Malon. Malon sung the song that came to him earlier and she called it "Epona's Song."

.+++.

Eventually Link moved to his tree house. He had to beg his parents, but they had finally caved in. He told them he would be responsible, that he would take care of himself. He was almost never left alone for the first few months.

His dreams didn't stop either. He dreamed of a talking tree and mysterious woods. Of sacred meadows and seed-spitting, flower-dwelling creatures and aggressive wolves. There were fairy fountains and ruins. Songs and skull kids.

Why did skull kids seem so important?

After a nightmarish dream of wolfos and mad scrubs, Link sat on the edge of his tree house, kicking his legs. Then he heard a horn being blown and an impish chuckle.

Link's head snapped up to meet the upside down eyes of a… scarecrow?

"Hehehehe. Link." The thing giggled, not bothering to correct its sense of gravity.

"H-how do you know my name?"

"Do you still remember her song? The one you played to me on her ocarina?"

Link's eyes widened and he remembered the tune of the forest, the gentle sound of a clay instrument, and friend.

"Yes, that one. Hehehehe. Any friend of Saria's is a friend of mine. So I can't let her friends die in the middle of the forest can I? Hehehehe."

"Skull Kid…." Yes, that's what this creature was, "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see in time little Hero. Well… time is your domain anyway. Hehehehe. Well, little boys should get to sleep. Don't be surprised if a little sage comes to visit. We'll meet again."

Link sat there as the little impish creature disappeared into nothing. The lack of sleep was getting to him…. He was dreaming wide awake now.

.+++.

As the years passed on by, the strange , almost nostalgic dreams slowly disappeared and coming to stop. When they did return, however, things had changed drastically. Instead of being a child, he was an adult. He watched that forest he grew up becoming tainted by mad scrubs, deku babas and wolfos. They threatened his childhood friends who didn't recognise him, and who apparently didn't age. As he went further into the woods that echoed her song he found moblins patrolling the maze in replacement of those mad scrubs. However, once he got to the end of the maze with that giant moblin his dreams faded to darkness. When those dreams happened, he was left in a cold sweat with his heart beating erratically and guilt pooling in his stomach. His whole body hurt.

Such was a particular night.

He was much older, considered an adult. He now helped at the ranch, and his foster father wished to make him the mayor once he stepped down. He remembered many nights when he sat in the cool night air after a nightmare, watching the moon. He couldn't remember though, if the night when the Skull Kid visited was a dream or reality. The Skull Kid looked different from his dreams, but basically the same. The clothes had changed, but there was _that mask_. A skull mask that he had given to the Skull Kid in his dreams. So it had to be a dream, or an odd coincidence…

Link sighed and leaned back, humming the song that the Skull Kid reminded him of.

"_Ah!"_

Link looked around, but saw nothing. _Where did that voice come from?_ He thought.

"_No… it can't be…"_

_Oh great, first I start dreaming awake, now I'm hearing voices?_ Link groaned and rubbed his temples. Why though, did that voice sound so familiar?

"_How do you know this song?"_

…_Now it's talking to me, great. I've gone insane._ He'd better keep this away from his family…

"_I'm not some voice in your head. Well… literally I guess I am, but I'm real."_ The feminine voice said to him again.

_What is it with that Skull Kid? First it's a half-asleep dream, and next I have to deal with voices in my head. He goes on about a song that I supposedly taught him, and I sing it only to deal with insanity next._ _I should probably go to sleep, it worked the last time._

"_Wait! He said that you taught him the song? You can't be…"_

_Oh! Be quiet voice, I'd rather enjoy my peaceful life._ Link groaned. Yes, bed. He was _talking_ to the voice now!

"_Is this how you treat an old friend? Well… I suppose you wouldn't remember."_ The voice sighed. _"Fine… if you don't want to talk to me, just don't sing that – my – song again."_

Something seemed to shut down in Link's head as soon as the voice finished talking. His head felt normal, and he heard no more voices. Even though his head finally felt clear, he was still bugged by what she said.

_My song_.

How could he know a person's song when the song only existed in his dreams?

He really needed to sleep…

.+++.

His dreams took a rapid turn from the ones that orientated around that mysterious village in the woods. No, this time it was filled with nightmare, of an evil power reborn. Of terror and death.

Yet… it seemed all familiar to him. That dark laughter he heard before, that shock of vibrant red hair. The darkness seemed a little more surreal than before, too ethereal. His left hand _itched_.

However, he didn't wake up in that cold terror, nor feeling that guilty conscious as his other nightmares. No, in fact, he woke up expectant and paternal.

He wanted to rid the darkness.

* * *

AN: I'm not too pleased with this chapter. Hope it's not too confusing

Still looking for beta!


	3. Chapter 2

30FF submission!

Warning: I plan for this to be yaoi which means two males doings the do. If you don't like this, press the back button please and do not flame. Another thing: This will contain spoilers from OoT and TP (though I'm certain that if you're here, you know about OoT) Sheik is also his own character and separate from Zelda. I'm not too certain if I'll explain their relationship (AKA Sheik = Zelda or not).

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or any of its characters do not belong to be and are property of Nintendo. However, I do claim possession of this story's plot line and any Original Characters formed in the process of it (Characters:N/A ATM)

* * *

Later that day, Link went to the small fountain outside of his house. There was something familiar about the waters. Lately, his dreams were becoming eerie. He didn't know what to think of them. Dreams weren't normally meant to make sense, they weren't supposed to connect to one another. So why was it that he seemed to be living another life in his dreams? Why were there children reoccurring within his subconscious? He had never met them before, but he felt as if he'd known them his entire life.

"Tell me Link." Feet were walking towards him before the person – Rusl – sat beside him. "Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"

Link wasn't too sure how to answer that question. In his early childhood, it was true because that meant he couldn't play for much longer, and recently, as darkness fell so did a dread and, yes, sadness. However, Link couldn't account for the time in between. He was happy on some days, because his nightmares faded, but also sad for the loss of his friends at night.

"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs. The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of the spirits who have left our world."

Link looked up at the darkening light. People said many things, yes, and Link felt that this, perhaps may be true, if only partially. Dusk was the moment darkness turned into light and dawn was when light turned to dark. It was only, twilight then, that their worlds truly intersected.

Rusl's words confirmed his suspicions. Yes, loneliness did pervade the hour of twilight.

.+++.

Link's dreams were no better that night, the horrors of darkness blanketing the world, that maniacal laughter.

The day just served as, almost a promotion to his worries that were starting to grow. His newly acquired slingshot had a sense of familiarity to it, and Link couldn't resist buying the thing – even if it were for children. Then, Talo just _had_ to run into the forest.

What had really unnerved him though, were the monsters that showed up. The deku babas that looked only a little bit different than those in his dreams, the bats which he had instinctively called keese (he knew they weren't the normal bats) and then those… blue creatures. If anything, he had to relate to them as skinny, miniature cousins of those moblins from his dreams. Deku babas weren't uncommon in most places of the forest – but they didn't grow to be that large, and he was certain that the keese weren't natural inhabitants, but those blue creatures… they did not belong anywhere.

Finally, he managed to free Talo from those creatures and walked him back to the village. When Rusl approached him and asked him about the forest he nodded. Yes, the forest was becoming strange.

.+++.

The darkness seemed closer now, and for some weird way, it seemed to almost _glow_. The maniacal laughter and the red hair morphed into some foreign masked creature with a different, almost perverse, laughter. It felt as if it was knocking at his door, waiting to be let in.

When Ilia took Epona, he wanted to explain the situation to her, but at the same time, he didn't want to worry her about Talo. He needed Epona for his trip to Hyrule Castle. He had to crawl through the tunnel to talk to Ilia. She was in one of her moods again, but Link knew he could deal with it, she was his sister after all.

Epona greeted him silently and he smiled at that. There was something about this horse but he couldn't tell what it was.

Ilia had let a small smile grace her features and Link knew that she had calmed down again. "So you still prefer your master over me, huh, Epona."

Why did those words seem so familiar? Why did Ilia remind him of Malon and Saria at the same time? Why did his dreams feel more and more like reality?

He couldn't answer those questions as monsters charged in to the fountain and Link felt a stirring in his left hand. He reached for his wooden sword instinctively, but found it not there.

There was a nostalgic feeling overtaking him again, except this time it didn't feel like home as his house or Epona did. It felt more like… a job.

Pain wracked his skull and he was out.

.+++.

When Link came to, the world seemed to have twisted and he could taste the darkness on his tongue. Ilia was gone, the gates broken wide open. He wanted to check the village, but there was no time if the creatures ran off with Ilia and Colin. He had to get them back!

It didn't help that the darkness drew him either.

As he walked, he saw a wall of pure blackness with glowing yellow lines. The area surrounding it felt and looked similar to the darkness that approached in his dreams. Then, a hand reached out from the wall and grabbed him.

There was nothing familiar about this creature – this monster. It was completely unnatural and foreign. It had no semblance to those he dreamed about. There was no face, only a flat, circular region where the head should be, and its body was the colour of ebony. Red lines glowed in certain spots that did remind him of that black wall.

What Link also noticed briefly before his left hand **raged** and **burned** was that this darkness – it was exactly as his dreams. The only other thing he felt was pain ripping through his entire being before he could hear and see nothing.

.+++.

Link looked around as he awoke. The world was still lit in that glowing darkness– no, this almost looked as if it were– why was he standing on all fours?

Link looked at his arms and his eyes widened, was that a _paw_? He lifted the thing that replaced his hand to his face and he felt the _triangular_ features, the _muzzle_, the _wet_ nose.

A feminine, impish creature smiled at him and circled him while floating in the air. A single tooth was hung out of her mouth. "I found you!"

Look noticed body was adorning with the glowing lines – with the exception that hers were a blue colour. Her eye glowed a _familiar_ shade of red.

Link couldn't help the low growling that escaped him. Everything so far with those glowing lines had caused only trouble for him.

The imp crossed her arms and mocked him, "Oooh! Aren't you scary! Eee Hee! Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me? Well, that's too bad… I was planning on helping you," she paused and her grin widened, "if you were nice."

Link took the imp's words into consideration. Here he was, trapped in a prison, one arm- leg-appendage-thing, chained to the floor. What could he do in this scenario? Might as well see what her offer was.

"Eee hee! That's so much better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" She patted his chin and Link let a glare escape him, the imp was _mocking_ him! "Oops! But you _aren't_ a human anymore, are you? You're a beast! Eee hee!"

Link was not pleased at all, this imp was annoying! Skull kids were better than she was! He snapped at her and she jumped back while floating in the air.

"There, there. You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite!" There was a ball of blackness with swirling red lines summoned in her hands and it flew towards his chains.

Link jumped back at the magic she had summoned.

"I bet you're wondering, where exactly are we?" The imp spontaneously disintegrated and then rematerialized on the other side of the bars. "Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you."

Link pushed himself up and looked around again. He moved his paws and took a few steps. This would take some getting used to. He glanced around and then noticed that the bars on the left side of the cage seemed a bit bent and behind a crate. He charged at the crate and it broke into pieces of wood. The ground seemed a bit disturbed, but he knew even in this… strange body that he wouldn't be able to squeeze through it. Perhaps… he could dig?

Ugh, how could creatures stand being dirty? It clung to every piece of hair – fur – on his body. He shook himself to try and get the dirt off of him when she giggled and sat on him. So he was going to be a horse? How fun.

"Hmph! I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" The imp patted his back, treating him like a _dog. _"Listen, I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here." Then the cursed thing grabbed his ear and pulled it back. "But in exchange for my help, you have to do _exactly_ as I say! If you need my help give a holler."

Link growled as she let his ear go. This imp thing was getting on his nerves. Here she was, demanding things of him and mocking him, riding him like he was some lesser creature (not that he thought Epona was one) and extorting him.

Link sighed and tried to charge at the door, but he couldn't get it to open. He would have tried to stand, but chains bound the door closed. Link went into the next cell and he looked up at the chain hanging from the ceiling.

"You know, chains are often used as activation switches."

Link growled at her and looked up. Maybe he could jump… Link fell down, he'd have to get used to this body. He heard the imp laughing at him so he tried again, managing to grasp it with his teeth as he fell.

A door opened in the corner and Link entered it. As he walked down the hallway, there was a blue-green light that floated and he heard the imp laughing again

"Oh! You want to see something interesting? Try to hone your senses, you're a beast right?"

Link let out a snarl at the imp, but tried to focus. Soon something came into view. He felt every movement around him and there stood an ethereal soldier whimpering to himself and shaking in fear.

If what Rusl said was true…

.+++.

When they finally got out of the prison building, and Link looked around, that strange sense of familiarity hit him again. As he looked at the tower, he felt a sense of dread. Link knew where he was now; the imp needn't to tell him. They were in Castle Town. There was no doubt about it. Why, why then, did he feel as if he knew the place? He had never been here before. Link knew he would have strange dreams tonight.

One line that the imp said hit him though.

"_Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today?_"

_So…_ Link thought, _twilight __**is**__ the time when the dead and alive can meet._

Link didn't want to go to this tower the imp mentioned, but she did say he had to do everything she said. He sighted, slumped a bit but went forward.

The ghost had only confirmed his suspicions, and those birds unnerved him. They looked very similar to that creature that grabbed him back in Ordon. They had that flat face and the red markings. When he entered the tower, Link felt as if he would be sick. It was the dread and anger that hit him unexpectedly but went away just as fast, He saw a symbol on the wall and his head began to hurt. What did all of this have to do with his… now-not-so-crazy dreams?

Then, he _finally_ met another human – even if he wasn't one anymore. Her cloaked figured had at first startled him, but when she turned around he had calmed down. Again, that nostalgic sense hit him once more.

"Midna…"

So _that_ was the elusive imp's name.

… Link really didn't like that they seemed to be talking about him as if he weren't there. He was only a beast, not an incompetent creature!

Finally, the woman addressed him personally. She apologized for his imprisonment. And Link finally managed to get an explanation, however surreal it seemed. But, he was just turned into a beast, his dreams made sense, so why not some crazed twilight-dweller try and take over Hyrule? It wasn't as if things could get any weirder right?

Link stared at the proclaimed princess of Hyrule. Some could have mistaken his gaze as an awe of another kind if they were here to see it, but no, his awe was at the familiar features. He had never seen her face in his secluded hamlet, but he knew that she wasn't lying.

…And Midna extorted him again.

.+++.

When Link arrived back in Ordon, he finally managed to get a good look at himself in the fountain outside of his house. He gasped – or did whatever the equivalent was. He was in the body of a black-furred wolf. Of course, he had white fur adorning certain spots on his body, but he was mainly black. He didn't understand why he had turned into a beast upon entering the Twilight, nor did he understand why he was still a beast in the light. Midna didn't provide him with any answers either, being a cryptic and annoying as ever.

Great… now an annoying companion seemed familiar to him as well.

He managed to get the items Midna wanted him to get, but as he ran towards the wall of Twilight, he heard a disembodied voice call to him, and he had to inspect it. It was calling to him, but it didn't seem to be like the malicious things he was facing now.

Great, he just walked into a trap. Black poles lined with the glowing markings he now connected with the Twilight surrounded him in a circle and the creature that grabbed him from before fell from the sky.

When he defeated it, the spring began to glow with a light that was had more of a holy feeling than that of the Twilight. It was _Light_. An orb of that pure light rose from the pond and it unrolled into the shape of the goats he herded on a daily basis.

"Oh brave youth… I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you slew was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light I wield." He warned Link of their plan to take over this world and turn it into a perpetual Twilight for eternity. He gave Link instructions, he told him that he was the only one who could do this.

And why did _that_ feel familiar as well?

.+++.

Link kept hearing about powers of the chosen one and when he went to see Faron after he had collected the drops of light, everything wouldn't stop its recognizable feeling. He felt like he saved others before, as if he held the entire world of Hyrule in his little palm _yet again_. When he finally regained his human form, the clothes of a simple ranch-hand from Ordon were no more. In their place, were the clothes of _the Kokori._ Faron said that the clothes belonged to an ancient hero chosen by the gods, but Link knew that there were many children running around in green tunics with fairies hiding in green hats. His only difference was that it was made for an adult, that chain mail and underclothes were added to provide protection to a warrior.

The feeling of _home_ was stronger than ever. His tree house held nothing against the feel of these clothes against his skin, the weight of a metal blade and shield at his back. He felt as if they belonged there and nothing else could.

He had the power of this original hero, he was the new hero chosen by the gods.

That nostalgic feeling **wouldn't** go away.

…Link really needed to sleep…

.+++.

His dreams were filled with chaos, a burning castle, a woman and child on a horse as they ran. The child reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place it, and the woman had silver-purple hair, and red, _red_, eyes. The symbol on her back was mesmerising and then a blue ocarina was thrown into the water. Then a man with evil, red eyes and familiar red hair questioned and threatened him before riding off. A small fairy appeared from his hat and pestered him, telling him to get the ocarina. Link obeyed and looked at his reflection in the water and saw _his_ ten year old self in _a green garb_, a _sword_ at his hip, _a shield_ on his back, and _a green cap_.

He woke up with a start.

* * *

Here's chapter 2! I really like this chapter personally xD A large improvement from the last chapter I must say. And yes, I need to do a lot of time jumping because I don't want to state every thing Link does and thinks. I only try to highlight the more important and significant details -currently has her TP on her TV ATM- I hate having to state all of those words etc. It bores me to no end and I stop updating, and we wouldn't want that, would we?

And I didn't even realize it until I read it over, that I keep having Link beginning to subconsciously believe that his dreams are real. Oh well, it fits with the story. Oh, with the Shink... I don't exactly know when it will come about, but hopefully soon. It depends on what comes first xD

Critique's welcome, and still looking for a beta~


	4. Chapter 3

30FF submission!

Warning: I plan for this to be yaoi which means two males doings the do. If you don't like this, press the back button please and do not flame. Another thing: This will contain spoilers from OoT and TP (though I'm certain that if you're here, you know about OoT) Sheik is also his own character and separate from Zelda. I'm not too certain if I'll explain their relationship (AKA Sheik = Zelda or not).

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or any of its characters do not belong to be and are property of Nintendo. However, I do claim possession of this story's plot line and any Original Characters formed in the process of it (Characters:N/A ATM)

* * *

As most dreams happened, Link didn't really see how he looked in his dreams. He knew he was called Link, but that was common. All he did see was the little children running about in those green tunics. Of course, he presumed he wore the same clothes as they did, but he actually never _saw_ himself. Now, with the tales of the old Hero, things began to make sense. He was a Hylian who lived with the Kokori. For some reason, he left the woods and came back as an adult and the ageless children didn't recognise him, and Saria was gone. Sometime in between, he had run to the castle town to meet a young girl and a woman riding away from a man who resembled the embodiment of evil from his dreams. The one thing that threw him off however, was the fact that his dream body and physical body was exactly the same.

Of course, Link had begun to realize his dreams were some sort of alternate reality of sorts, but he didn't know exactly what it was. However, Link had finally figured it out.

His dreams, they had to be his life in the past.

"Well… I guess I'd expect any normal person to have nightmares about everything that happened." Midna had giggled as she came out from his shadow. "But, the blue-eyed-beast from the legends was said to be brave and **courageous**."

Link glared at the phantom figure of his new companion. "What I dreamed last night had nothing to do with the Twilight Midna."

The imp giggled again. "Sure, sure Mr. Hero. I might believe that if you don't wet your trousers with the next place we go." She hid back into his shadow.

Link rolled his eyes. His own personal conclusion still was not complete. He knew now, how to confirm what he believed. He took a deep breath and hummed. The notes came to him as if it were second nature. When he felt something click and a sigh in his mind, he knew he connected.

_You're Saria, aren't you?_

"_So you __**do**__ remember…"_ She telepathically whispered to him. "_But how is that possible? It has to be over a century, so you can't be the same…"_

Link chuckled. _I was hoping you could answer that. I know who you are Saria, I see you in my dreams almost constantly – well did. When I was a child, I dreamt of you and the Kokori Village, of the Deku Tree, Mido, and even the Sacred Meadow. So, no, I am not the same Link you met however long ago that was. I could only come up with one conclusion – I am a reincarnation of the Link you knew._

Saria was quiet on the other end, but Link knew that their connection was still present; he could feel it in his mind. _"So it is true then, that Link died… I know it wasn't because he left the village, but he must have died out there once he saved the world. I knew he had to… but to hear it, it still pains my heart. I apologize, but back to the matter at hand. Why did you think I could help answer your question Link?"_

Purely out of habit, Link rubbed the back of his head. _Well, you're the only one who would be alive out of… whoever else I interacted with back then. Besides, you're the only one who I can talk to Saria. I don't even know where you are, but I can talk to you like this. You also just confirmed another one of my suspicions – that I was the Hero of the legends. But… why would you know of that Saria? From what I dreamt, I don't think most of the Kokori were very in tune with the outside world._

"_Ah… you haven't remembered that much I see. I am, but was, a Sage of the Forest. I cannot elaborate too much on that though Link. If the Goddesses will you to remember, you will in time. I still don't understand why you do remember though… most reincarnations don't remember their past lives. In fact, I've never heard of one remembering… But, I digress, why did you believe you were the Hero of Time Link? Did it appear in one of your dreams?"_

Link shook his head, and made a mental note of only talking to Saria when alone. (Which she giggled at) _Ah… a new threat to Hyrule has appeared… and I have been told that I am the new Hero chosen by the Gods, that I bear the mark and power of the old Hero. Is that true Saria? Is this triangle on my hand a mark that your Link had?_

"_That is a matter of debate. When I knew Link as a child, he did not bear that mark you state. He received it during his heroic adventures although... no. If you learn more about your previous life, ask me more about this topic. I cannot disobey the will of the Goddesses."_

_Saria? Why do you state those above as Goddesses but not Gods? The Light Spirits I have encountered refer to them as the latter._

"_Ah… as time passes, so does the memory. Somewhere along the years, the concepts of Din, Farore, and Naryu must have been forgotten. That too, you may remember in time. But, if you will excuse me for now, Mido is pounding on my door. Play my song if you wish to speak again. It was… nice to speak with you again."_ Saria's presence faded from his mind and Link opened his eyes which he never noticed he shut.

"Yo. What are you doing idiot! Hurry up will you? Jezz, how long does it take for you to get your wits about you?" Midna said as she floated above him, a scow on her face. "Oh well, it's not as if I don't mind Hyrule encased in Twilight, or have you forgotten that your precious girlfriend was taken away by those monsters?" She chuckled and disappeared once again.

.+++.

After the monkey he kept rescuing came to _his_ rescue, he met a golden wolf who pounced at him moments after growling at him.

Link had closed his eyes instinctively, and when he opened them, he was in a fogged place and Hyrule Castle stood off in the distance.

His head felt heavy and his chest _hurt_.

Link fell to the floor, clutching his chest and groaned. Something was wrong. There was ringing in his head and he winced to glance at a skeleton near him, armed but ethereal.

"You… You are not what I had expected, yet at the same time the one I did."

The ringing was gradually increasing in volume and he cracked out. "Wh-what have you done?"

"I correct you, what have _we_ done, but it seems that you do not recall it quite yet, but you will in time, budding Hero. I envy you who have taken the easy route. I had to endure the hard trials throughout the years. But that is not why I had called you here."

Link wanted somebody to shut off that infernal buzzing sound. He gave up clutching his chest in order to cover his ears, but that did nothing to alleviate the pain. "Stop it! _Stop_!" Link pleaded, the noise becoming unbearable.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. Remember those words" The skeleton spoke before kneeling. "The lessons must take another form than intended young Hero." The gauntleted hand pressed onto his shoulder and Link's world shifted yet again.

It was similar to the world in his dreams. There was a dinolfos walking around him. However, the only different thing was that he could not control his own actions – or at least they didn't feel natural. He knocked down the reptile-like creature and jumped into the air before pushing his sword through its skull.

When he opened his eyes again, the armoured skeleton looked weary as it stepped away from him.

"The first hidden skill, the ending blow, had been passed on. There are still six hidden skills for you to learn. Those are only for one who carries the blood of the hero… the one whose spirit is that of the sublime beast. Grow powerful. Test your courage. And when you find that you need another skill to overcome the threats that face you… search for the statues that howl with the sound of the wind, with the familiar and painful symbol. Seek the sound that calls to the spirit of the beast to awaken me again."

The world faded, and as Link opened his eyes again, he was back in Faron Woods. Who – or what – was that skeleton in the mist? Why did they know who he was and that he remembered? There was also something peculiar about what he said – the _familiar_ and painful symbol. He knew about Link finding the entire world nostalgic, and _why_ did that creature refer to actions he took as _we_?

Link shook his head and continued on before Midna could bug him again.

.+++.

As Link battled through the temple, that familiar feeling was back again, that feeling of home yet a job at the same time. To slice through enemies, to see another version of those spider-like creatures which he recalled were skulltulas, to help others through dungeons, to find maps, keys and compasses. The boomerang also had that familiar feeling, and fighting bosses, acquiring some sort of reward afterwards. He had to have done this before – to fight through dungeons and save others in the process – it was the only option Link could come up with. He also had a sneaking feeling that if he continued in his quest, he would only remember more.

He followed Midna out of the temple, and ended up in the fountain again.

"Heroic Link… Do not think that Hyrule is now saved from the spread of Twilight. Leave these woods and go to the east where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. There you will find those you seek. But know that these lands lie in Twilight. They are now a dark realm covered by the clouds of dusk. If you set foot beyond the curtain of Twilight, you will revert to your beast form, so be prepared. Hero chosen by the gods, leave these woods and go to the east, to the land of Eldin." He heard Faron speak to him.

Link knew where he would go – to Kakariko village. Well, if it still existed.

And Midna just further provoked the issue. Really, he didn't need any more prompting. He wanted to figure out his previous life.

.+++.

When Link heard Colin state that he would be the one to save them, he couldn't help but feel touched. However, with Midna's words of how he was going to be an unknown hero, it didn't really matter to him. So, what if he were a hero by trade? He needn't be recognised, it would only make life more difficult – not that life was necessarily difficult back at the farm. Besides… Link wasn't being entirely selfless anymore; he wanted to learn more about the past – something not even the most precise of textbooks could give.

Oh course, that wasn't the only thing on his mind when he saw the children. He was ecstatic that they were alright, that none were missing. However, it just made him worry more as well, because his sister wasn't there. Where would Ilia be?

"Hehe. Worried about your girlfriend wolf-boy? I'm sure she's alright – just taken to a different place. But, you better hurry. You never know…" She left on that foreboding note and Link growled.

Perhaps he'd try something.

_You know Midna… she's not my girlfriend._

Well, if it worked or it didn't, Link didn't know, for the little imp never responded.

.+++.

Link decided to continue onwards and destroy the remaining bugs holding the light. When he approached a large mountain – no volcano – he knew he had been here in his previous life. It had changed, as had most of Hyrule, but he _had_ been here. He also thought it was weird for the Goron spirit to be guarding the volcano from the humans. But… when the world is swirling into an abyss, everybody acts weird.

So he climbed up the rocks and killed the Twilight-dwellers before he began to hear a song in the distance.

It was oddly familiar. The oddity itself was familiar too – it was that strange sensation when that skeleton had… done whatever he did to teach Link the finishing move – as if it were a memory that had been forced upon him, a dream which he couldn't control his actions.

He followed the noise, killing the creatures that attacked him as he did so.

It was coming from a stone, and Link stared at it. There was an eye – an oh so familiar eye – and it was crying a single tear. He couldn't tear his eyes off of the symbol and his heartbeat had changed. At first, it was a slow, steady beating, then it began to speed up. His breath became laboured and he took a step back. There was the pain… that pain he was warned about, and it hit him _hard_. His chest hurt, he felt as if he was going to be sick. He didn't want to – he couldn't remember. Something was telling him [u]**no[/u]**. He wanted to deny it – deny the long-past reason for the pain – to ignore it and move on. It was the past, he tried to reason, it had nothing to do with him. But… it did. It was his previous life which would undoubtedly repeat itself. He still didn't want to remember.

He passed out.

He saw a large mountain in the distance on yellowed grass, a horse beneath him.

_Listen! That cloud over Death Mountain… there is something strange about it…_

He had looked up to a fairy pointing at the mountain, a dark red, ominous cloud circling the top. He suddenly worried for the Gorons – especially Darunia.

The world shifted again, and Link suddenly was a child. He was walking up the path, killing tektites that jumped at him, and avoiding rolling Gorons. He ended up playing Saria's song to cheer up the Goron leader – Darunia – and was told about their troubles. He had saved the people after entering and conquering the dungeon. He received the Goron's Ruby to match his Kokori Emerald. Now he just needed the Zora's Sapphire…

.+++.

When Link awoke, he found himself in a fairy fountain – no in a Guardian's fountain.

"What the hell happened back there!" He heard Midna yell at him. "You approached that weird stone and then passed out! Man, you're weaker than I thought! Some blue-eyed beast you are!"

Link groaned and pawed at his face sleepily, thinking, _Yes, you're definitely more annoying than her, at least she didn't demean me._

"Oh?" The imp said to him, crossing her arms. "Who?"

Link smiled. _Nobody of your concern. Oh, and Ilia isn't my girlfriend._

"If you're going to be that way!" Midna said and threw him into the portal above them.

.+++.

When Link encountered that whistling stone once again, the pain wasn't as bad, but that was perhaps because he expected it. Instead, he closed his eyes and listened to the oddly reminiscence sound of the wind and howled.

After his first success, he ended up on a cliff near to the side of Hyrule he was in. He felt pain – one that resembled the pain he had when he was in the same area as that skeleton, but it was… diluted, it wasn't as painful. It was probably the difference in their locations. He reasoned that this… person-wolf-thing lived in a separate realm, and whenever he and Link were in the same realm, the pain was there as well.

There was another reminiscence feeling though, to the stone's carvings and music. It ached and it seemed that anything relating that symbol would be, but Link felt as if he knew what to do. He howled again, painful nostalgia filling him.

The golden wolf, who was heard on the other end, responded with the same call before they both howled at the same time.

It reminded him so much of something he just couldn't remember.

"Let teachings of old pass to you…" The wolf-skeleton said to him. "Take sword in hand and find me…" He jumped down, the world fading out.

When Link opened his eyes, he was back on the mountain and walked away from the stone. If he stayed any further… Link knew that he might collapse again.

He really wanted to know what that symbol did in the past to make his soul want to forget so badly, but he had a job to do – to save Hyrule.

Memories came later.

* * *

Wheee~ Here it is! My brother cut me off when I was playing the game... so sorry if I phrased things a little bit wrong:/ I had to rush to finish some stuff so he could play my Wii.

BTW... IT WAS SO FUCKING HARD TRYING TO FIND NAVI'S COMMENT FOR THE CLOUD! ... Srsly.. took me over 1 hour T^T

And yes, I changed a bit of The Hero's Shade's comments. I actually had to change some things in my pot, but I like it all the better xD Can anybody guess what's entirely going on with The Hero's Shade? xD  
I think I might end up summarizing some stuff next... and I mgiht play with the time-line of the story. I don't know just yet though. We'll see.


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